Ellex secures CE mark for 2RT in treatment of early stage Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Harlow, Essex (PRWEB UK) 10 March 2014 -- Haag-Streit UK (HS-UK), the leading manufacturer and distributor of gold-standard optometry and ophthalmic equipment, is pleased to announce that Ellex Medical Lasers Ltd has secured a CE Mark for its proprietary Retinal Rejuvenation Therapy (2RT) laser treatment of early Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
There are no other approved treatments for the early form of AMD. Current treatment options are restricted to targeting the late form of the disease, referred to as Wet AMD, which only accounts for approximately 10-15% of all people who suffer from AMD. This represents a significant market opportunity for 2RT™.
Retinal Rejuvenation Therapy (2RT) delivers nanosecond pulses of laser energy to stimulate a natural, biological healing response in the eye to stimulate a process of cellular rejuvenation to preserve and/or improve functional vision, reducing disease progression.
These nanosecond pulses create micro-bubbles around retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) melanosomes, without causing heat to escape beyond the RPE cell walls. These micro-bubbles cause damage to the internal cell structure only: they do not break the cell’s outer membrane.
This breakthrough approach retains the therapeutic effect of laser therapy whilst eliminating the thermal tissue damage inherent in conventional retinal photocoagulation laser treatment.
“2RT is a laser treatment of early stage AMD. Unlike current treatments, which only target the late-stage complications associated with AMD, with 2RT we aim to treat the disease before complications set in,” commented Ellex CEO, Tom Spurling.
“With the CE Mark now in place we will commence our commercial program with a limited roll-out of the 2RT laser to a number of key clinical sites. This is a necessary step in validating, and expanding upon, the clinical findings we so far have for 2RT, and will ultimately support a wider roll out of the product and future sales growth,” said Mr. Spurling.
Haag-Streit UK is the sole distributor of the Ellex product portfolio in the UK.
For further information on HS-UK products, telephone Haag-Streit UK on (01279) 414969, email info(at)haag-streit-uk(dot)com or visit http://www.haagstreituk.com.
Rebecca Herrett, Haag-Streit UK Limited, http://www.haagstreituk.com, +44 1279456260, [email protected]
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